


Anything For You

by clicky797



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Hoshido | Birthright Route, M/M, Slow Build, possible canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:15:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8213813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clicky797/pseuds/clicky797
Summary: Gerome is heartbroken when he learns Inigo died protecting the Prince of another realm. He'll do anything to save him, even if it means traveling to that realm and living a new life.





	1. Where are you?

**Author's Note:**

> So this is one of my more ambitious stories. Basically I was looking at Saizou and all the similarities he shares with Gerome and I thought who knows maybe they are the same character! XD  
> I mean they're both voiced by the same person in the Japanese version of the game, they both have the same colour hair (in Gerome's official art at least, but in the game the only way to get that colour without using the avatar is making his father Gaius - who Saizou's son is pretty much a clone of! (so is Gerome his own grandfather?!) O_o), they both wear masks on the opposite half of their faces (the exact opposite, pretty much! If one of them wore both at the same time he'd have his whole face covered!), both have similar personalities (loner, broody, distant, mysterious), and they both have ship-inducing supports with Inigo/Laslow where they disrespect him, go to a tavern and beat him at a contest involving women, and then give him respect when they realise he's awesome!  
> Anyway expect regular updates with this one because I know exactly where it's going and I'm impatient to get there! :) Enjoy! (and apologies for the long note! I never normally do these!)

Where are you, Inigo? 

It’s been years since the day you vanished. We were out celebrating in that tavern you love, the one with the high tables that are perfect for dancing on. You were doing just that - dancing and laughing and swinging your tankard of ale around so much that it spilled on the people watching you, but they did not mind. Brady accompanied you on the violin, and Owain stomped and clapped a beat that the whole tavern joined in with, while I watched from the corner. 

I only ever watch. You’ve all changed so much since we left our doomed time and came to this better one, but I fear I am still the same. Still a cautious, frightened boy, who worries that fate has not quite finished toying with him yet. Still a boy who must hide behind masks and keep everyone at a distance. Still someone who is too afraid to admit he is in love with you. 

That night I felt bold. Perhaps it was the ale that Cynthia passed to me, or the sound of laughter filling the thick, warm air. Or maybe it was the sight of you. You had flushed cheeks and lidded eyes when you returned to our table. Noire left to buy more drinks and we were alone in that corner, where it felt like no one could see us. 

And I kissed you. 

I remember your face. You were shocked. Probably horrified and disgusted. I cannot blame you. All I’ve ever been is cold to you. I insult your spirit and scorn your enthusiasm, return your laughter with silent frowns and roll my eyes at your smiles. But you must have wondered why I still follow you, despite all this. Why I watch you dance and let you drag me to taverns like this one, even when it’s just the two of us. 

I should have said something. The silence dragged on between us and I couldn’t meet your eye. Finally, you spoke. 

“Gerome?”

I fled, without seeing your face. Without knowing your thoughts on what I had done. I thought we would discuss it in the morning, or that you’d forget. I should have known better.  

Come morning, Brady was still asleep across the table and Noire and Cynthia were trying to help the tavern owner clean up the mess, apologising for the drunken stupor of their friends. But Owain was not there. Severa was not there. You were not there. You were not anywhere. 

No one knows what happened to you. Your mother weeps daily, a pain that is only soothed by the arrival of her new baby you. Is that why you left? Because the time had come to be replaced? Have you gone to seek your own place in this world? Then why did you leave me behind?

I remain in Ylisstol. It was the last place I saw you, and perhaps it will be the place you one day return to. In the meantime, I visit your mother once a week to ensure she is coping. I pick flowers from outside the city to bring to her, just as I imagine you would if you were still here. 

 

I am picking flowers again when I see two figures walking towards me. I have to shield my eyes against the sun, but then I see familiar faces. The tulips I have gathered fall from my hand.

“Owain! Severa!”

At first they don’t respond, as if they’ve forgotten those names belong to them. But then they see me too, and they are running towards me. We’ve never been particularly good friends, but my heart still leaps to see them both alive and unharmed. And if they are here then you must be with them, right? 

Severa reaches me first. She buries her face against my chest and hugs me tight. My shirt muffles her laughter. I search over her head for a third person, but there is no one else. Owain puts a hand on my shoulder, but this is not the Owain I remember. No smiles, no dramatics or jeering. He is grim. Wetness is seeping into my clothing, and I realise that Severa isn’t laughing. She’s crying. 

“Inigo?” I say, the blood rushing from my face.

The name makes Severa cry harder, and Owain shakes his head. I don’t want to understand what this means. I hear his next words as if through crashing waves. Do I live nearby? Yes, I have a small cottage on the outskirts of the city. Can I take them there? They have much they need to tell me. I nod. Yes, tell me everything.

 

They don’t leave until after nightfall, and I am left alone to stare out the window. You are dead. Your body lies in a land that is not your own, in a place where those who loved you cannot put flowers on your grave. It isn’t fair. I scream that it isn’t fair. 

I had dreams that you might return to me, one day. I was ready. I think you would have liked the cottage I live in. I bought it thinking of you, thinking of how in my wildest dreams you might live here too and love the view from the bedroom window. The view of the flowers that I go pick for your mother, to soothe her hurts. But even a bouquet of golden roses will not soften the news I must deliver, come morning. I need air. I cannot breathe. 

I go out to the flowers and sit among them. They look silver in the moonlight, even though I know that they are blue and yellow and pink. Owain and Severa say you died a hero. You died defending a Prince who would have been King, had he not died too. I hate this Prince who stole you from me. I hate him as much as I hated Grima, and I wish desperately that I could have saved you.

_What would you have done to save him?_

A voice, soft and distant, beckons to me. I follow it, even though it takes me away from the city. Even though no one will know where I’ve gone. Even though I have nothing with me but the shirt on my back and the boots on my feet. If I am lost in the night, like you were, perhaps we will find each other.

_Tell me_ , the voice urges, _what would you have done? What would you have sacrificed if it meant he could live?_

The night is too quiet for me to disturb, so I speak my answer in my mind. I would have done anything to save you. I would have given whatever was asked of me, if it meant you could live. 

_Truly? Would you leave everything you know behind? Leave the land of your birth?_

I nod slowly. I already have. 

_What about those who love you? Your mother and father? Your wyvern? Your friends? Would you forsake ever seeing them again?_

I laugh bitterly at this. My real mother and father lie buried in the dirt, as you do. Minerva returned to her own kind many moons ago, and as for friends, you were really the only one I was ever close to. And you left me too. 

_Would you live a new life?_ the voice suddenly asks. _Would you travel through realms and time, reliving your childhood in a land where none know your name, where war beckons and new evil rises?_

I would. 

_Then go._

I feel my heartbeat speeding, as if I am in the heat of battle. I stop walking and put a hand to my bare face. It feels feverish. But none of this matters when the voice next speaks. 

_You can save him._

My breath leaves me. I feel dizzy, like the world beneath my feet is spinning. But still I cling to consciousness, still I stand my ground. The voice anchors me. I can save you. 

_You will go to the other world, as he did. You will take a new name and life. Use your years wisely. You will only get one chance. I can give you no more than that. But also know this: whether you succeed or fail, you will never be able to come back here._

I do not need to come back. I just need you alive. 

Voice, give me what you must. Rename me. Change my face. Rewrite my past. Make it so Gerome never existed. I will take whatever I must, any new life you give me. So long as he will be in it.


	2. Thinking of you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does Saizo have to have so much backstory?! Seriously Gerome, of all the characters to be your doppleganger...

I wake in a field of tall grass. As I stand, I can feel that my body is smaller than it should be, my arms weaker. I am a child. 

I wander until I find a pond and peer into it. The face that stares back is still my own, but gone are the scars and hard lines that have come from years of struggle and fighting. My skin is unmarked, my eyes wide, my red hair no longer slicked back. It is just as the voice said it would be. I will relive my childhood in another land. I will save you.

I do not know what direction I must go, so I sit by the edge of the pond and stare at the sky. A weight has lifted from my chest. You are still alive. And though we may not meet for many years, even decades, it is enough for now. I know what I must do till then. 

I hear rustling, and the grass on the other side of the pond parts to reveal a man dressed in black, with hair the colour of bark. I do not have names for the weapons I see on his belt - silver discs with sharp edges. With minimal effort, his body tenses and he leaps over the pond. His feet make no sound when they touch the ground. He crouches down, careful not to frighten me. But I am a man who has lived two lives already. This third one will not begin with me trembling. 

“Hi there. Are you lost, little one?” he asks me.

I nod. 

“Where did you come from? Do you have a home?”

I shake my head. No. Not anymore. 

“What about a name?”

Another shake. The voice didn’t give me one.  

He helps me to stand. His fingertips are rough but his movements are careful, practised. I can tell that we are both men of battle. I try to show him this in the way I stand, feet braced, shoulders relaxed. I could learn to fight like he does, if he gives me the chance. 

“Come with me,” he says, carefully wrapping a cloak over my shoulders. “It will be alright. We’ll find someone who can help.”

 

The man’s name is Saizo. 

He is the fourth of his name, the leader of the clan from Igasato, who have trained as ninjas for generations. Igasato is peaceful and full of sun. I am given plenty of food and kept safe while Saizo and some others try to locate my parents. Their failure to do so astounds everyone. 

I am a mystery to them. I hear them speaking lowly, while they think I’m occupied by the wooden toys they have given me. 

“Do you think he was abandoned?”

“Why would someone do that? It can’t be for lack of food. There’s never been a shortage around here.”

“Maybe he ran away? Got himself lost?”

“But then surely Saizo would have found his parents by now? Word would travel quick if someone had lost their son.”

That leaves only one possibility in their minds, one they dare not voice. They turn to look at me, their eyes full of sorrow and regret. I wait for them to ask. But before they can, Saizo is walking through the door. He pinches his nose as he sighs, leaning heavily against the wall. 

“Any luck?” a woman asks him, and he shakes his head. 

They go back to watching me in silence. I wonder if I should tell them that my parents are dead. It wouldn’t be a lie. But is that something a child would willingly say? It has been too long since I was around children. I used to see the other you, when I visited your mother to bring her flowers, but you were far younger than I am now. Should I be crying? Should I be running around and laughing? I know I shouldn’t be sitting here in silence, still holding the toys but not playing with them. I am already ruining this mission. 

“Little one,” Saizo finally says. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything? The name of your village? The name of your parents? Anything?”

“No,” I say, my voice far higher and softer than I’m used to. 

Saizo settles back against the wall, exhaling hard. He turns to the others.

“Well then,” he says. “I guess it’s decided. I’ll look after him.”

 

He names me Suzu. 

I am his only child. He has dedicated his life to his clan, and as such he never had the time to father his own children. As his new son, I am one day expected to join the path his family has followed for generations. I will become a ninja and dedicate my life to protecting the royal family of this kingdom. My training begins a month after my arrival, after he believes I have adjusted to my new life here. 

We did not have ninjas back home, but if we did I think you could have been one. They are light on their feet, moving quick like wind. Watching them train makes me think of you, of the way you used to dance in the woods when you thought no one was watching. I want to learn this style of fighting, that is so like your natural movements. Then, one day, maybe I will dance at your side.

Igasato is in the kingdom of Hoshido, where there is plenty of food and sunshine, and all live peacefully. I am told that the royals who rule are just and kind, beloved by everyone. They make me think of Chrom and Lucina. But Hoshido only forms half of this land. 

The other half is Nohr. I do not get the chance to see it with my own eyes, but I overhear tales of their cruelty from the clan. Of how their King makes his concubines fight amongst themselves for his own amusement, how he enforces a harsh law on those he is meant to protect. They are Hoshido’s enemy, a land in the darkness. 

Owain and Severa told me you died defending a Prince. They did not tell me which Prince. Hoshido or Nohr? I am not here to aid in this conflict. I am not here to find a new father and carry his legacy. I am here only for you. Whatever side you take, I must be on the same one. But I cannot wait for your arrival to choose. Already I should be preparing myself, weaving myself seamlessly into this existence and making allies. There is only one way I can decide. I must meet the Prince you are fated to protect. 

 

It is difficult not to grow attached. I have been Suzu of Igasato for only two months, and already I feel my chest tightening. All I want from this place is the fighting skills of a ninja. That is it. I want to spend every day training, learning how to become stronger, deadlier. But I have a new father now, and he is delighted to have such a dedicated son. 

“Suzu,” Saizo calls to me. “I think that’s enough for one day. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

I pretend not to hear him as I continue to throw shurikens at the target. All of them miss. My aim will never be like Noire’s was. I only stop when his hand catches my wrist lightly, and he takes the shuriken from me. I expect him to put it away, but instead he crouches beside me and adjusts the angle of my throwing arm. 

“You’re concentrating too hard on aiming,” he tells me. “Focus on throwing them correctly first. Aim will come later.”

He puts the shuriken back in my hand. It is flat against my palm instead of pinched between my fingers. He carefully moves my arm, showing me the arc I should be following.

“Throw it like this,” he says. “With one movement. Quick, like you’re skimming a stone. Or trying to sneak an apple into your pocket without anyone noticing. That’s what my father used to say. But then again, he caught me sneaking apples from our cupboards plenty of times. I don’t even know if you like apples all that much.”

He chuckles fondly.

“I prefer oranges,” I say.

I don’t know why I say it. This man doesn’t need to know anything about me, nor I about him.

“Oh really? Hmm, well I’ll pick some up at the next market then. Although I should warn you, they’re out of season so they’ll be very sour.”

He straightens up and takes a step back, giving me room to throw. 

“But one of the women at the bakery reckons she has a trick to make them sweet. She soaks them in a special blend. What do you think about that? It might be worth a try.”

He’s trying to bond with me. Clearly my careful detachment to Igasato and him have not gone unnoticed. He must think I miss my other home, my real parents. I do, I’ll never stop missing them, but I miss you most of all. 

Instead of replying, I throw the shuriken the way he showed me. It still misses, but I could tell the moment it left my hand that it was my best attempt yet. 

“Yes!” He claps his hands and ruffles my hair. “Just like that, son. We’ll make a fine ninja of you yet!”

I cannot bear this. I cannot allow myself to grow comfortable here until I have met the eldest Hoshian prince and judged whether he is someone you would give your life to protect. I may still have to leave this place, without letting anyone know. I will have to break Saizou’s heart. This is a hard burden to bear when I see such joy in his eyes. 

You and I were never given the chance to bond with our fathers. Grima took them from us before we could know them. Is this what it should have been like? 

 

Another painful month passes, a month of him trying to teach me to fish and about the legacy I have been adopted into. It is growing hard not to smile at him when he launders me with praise, or tells me amusing stories about his own childhood. It is hard not to grow fond of someone who has such unrelenting dedication. That was one of the things that drew me to you. 

I think of you more often than ever now. Of your relentless flirting and teasing. Of your carefree smile that will never wane. Of the brief kiss we shared, all those years ago, before you vanished and died. It would be so easy to forget everything and surrender myself to this new life, but thinking of you and your impending death keeps me grounded. 

One good thing comes from Saizo’s lessons about our family legacy - it finally gives me a chance to visit Castle Shirasagi, where I can meet the royal family. Where I can finally meet the crown Prince and decide. I know your heart, and I will know a man you are willing to die for when I meet him. 

I am introduced to Prince Ryoma on a summer afternoon, while he plays near the river with some of his siblings. There is a girl with red hair, who clutches a stuffed pegasus in her arms, and a younger boy who is pale like snow. They are paddling in the water, searching amongst the bed rocks for hidden treasure. Prince Ryoma clearly wants to join them, but he is obedient when King Sugemari calls. 

He is a tall child, older than I am, with thick brown hair. Already, he has begun to grow strong from his rigorous sword training. Sugemari ruffles his hair fondly as he speaks to Saizo, and I know that he is this man’s pride and joy. 

“Would you like to join us?” Ryoma asks, gesturing to the river.

I must test him. 

“I don’t want to,” I say. 

Ryoma’s eyebrows push themselves together in concern. I doubt anyone has refused his invitation before. How will he respond? Will he leave me to go play anyway, like he so clearly wants to? Will he argue with me, saying that he’s the prince so I should do what he wants? Or...

Prince Ryoma sits next to me on the grass. 

“Okay then,” he says. “Is there a different game you’d like to play instead?”

“Not really,” I admit. “How about we just sit and talk? There are some things I’d like to ask you.”

I ask Ryoma about things that would normally escape a child’s understanding. War. Politics. Equality. Honour. I deliberately try to bore him, to see if he will abandon his guest. He doesn’t. He even manages to answer most of my questions. Almost everything he says is what I expect he’s heard from his father, but he says it with an expression that lets me know he believes his words are true and right. They are. The King has set a fine example. 

“It’s strange,” Ryoma says, when I am out of questions. “You’re younger than me, but you talk like you’re closer to my father’s age.”

By the time Saizo has finished talking with King Sugemari, I am ready to leave. I have seen and heard enough. 

Prince Ryoma is a good person, like his father the King. He will grow to become a wise ruler, upholding the honour and fairness that has always been known throughout his kingdom. To attack him is to attack these values. Nothing could justify his death. Any who seek to do him harm are monsters. His enemies, the Nohrians, are not worth protecting. I know you would never side with such people. I am sure you will protect Prince Ryoma with your life, and I will join you by his side. 

It is a relief. I no longer need to resist Saizo’s fatherly affection. I can remain here in this wonderful land, which represents all that is good. I can immerse myself in it fully, safely sure that, when the time comes, you will do the same.


	3. Do you remember?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How come so many people ship Gerome and Inigo, but hardly anyone ships Saizo and Laslow? They're the same characters! XD

I have always believed that fate has a habit of repeating itself. Do you remember that time, when we were seven, when we found a lost boy crying in the woods? We were lost boys ourselves by then, but we had the others. The boy we found had no one. We tried to take him with us, but he wouldn’t leave the forest. His parents would come back for him, he’d cried. They’d left him there and sworn they’d come back. 

We couldn’t make him see the truth. We were forced to leave him behind. It is something I have always regretted. He likely died there, alone, waiting for someone who was already dead. But we were only children. We couldn’t have known how to help, and we were so desperate to maintain our own survival. 

It happens to me again. 

Fath- I mean- _Saizo_ takes me into the woods to help him hunt. I have improved at throwing shuriken, and now he thinks I’m ready for a moving target. The rabbits that live among the trees are suitable for this, and if I am successful we will get a meal out of it. 

“Remember,” Saizo whispers, careful not to disturb our surroundings. “Throw it in one movement. If you pause then don’t bother throwing. You’ll end up missing and we’ll spend the rest of the day searching for lost shuriken in bushes.”

“Better to lose a few old throwing stars than our dinner,” I say.

Saizo raises an eyebrow. 

“Need I remind you that you are hunting with the clan chief? However terrible you are at this - and I’m sure you’re likely to be terrible - I can promise you that we won’t be going home empty handed.”

There is a playful smile on his lips, a challenge. Despite myself, I return the smile. Curse this man! He is far too perceptive. In the year that has passed, he has been learning me. He knows what I enjoy and what he needs to say to get a response out of me. He likes it when I am blunt and slightly rude, and I like it when he taunts and challenges me. It makes me feels like I am back among the Shepherds, instead of trapped in the body of a child. 

“We’ll see,” I say, turning my attention back to the bushes. 

The hours pass and I don’t hit anything that moves. The closest I come to catching food is when one of my shuriken ends up pinning a large leaf to a tree. Saizo huffs as he pulls it out of the bark, holding my catch up. 

“Good work,” he days dryly. “Do that a dozen more times and we’ll have enough for a salad.”

“Perhaps a salad would do you some good,” I mutter, scanning the bushes for any more movement. 

Saizo has already caught two small rabbits, which are tied together and slung over his shoulder. Dusk is approaching, and I know if I don’t catch something soon, I won’t catch anything. 

I see movement. A rabbit, far larger than any we’ve seen so far, springs from the bush. My shuriken misses, but I don’t give up. While Saizo bends to collect my weapon, I rush after the rabbit, another shuriken already in hand. 

“Hey, Suzu!” I hear him call behind me. “Wait! Don’t run off when it’s getting dark!”

But I refuse to be beaten. I will catch that rabbit if it takes me all night. I throw another shuriken and another, but all I succeed in doing is making the fleeing creature change direction, until I must run through bushes to follow it. 

That’s when I hear the sound. A small, muffled crying, like we heard all those years ago. I forget about the rabbit and follow the noise. It doesn’t take long to find him, though I almost miss him at first. He is smaller than I am, though I judge we are the same age, and his hair is the same dark green as the bushes he cowers among. He chokes on his breath when he notices me, clearly startled, but he calms when he notices I am only a child. 

“Are you lost?” I ask him, and he nods. “Do you have a name?”

“Kaze,” he says quietly. 

I take a step towards him. He is skinny and underfed. I see his bony fingers tighten their grip on his folded arms, but his pale face remains unchanged. I remember the same expression of that boy we found. He was scared and alone, but he knew what he had to do. Stay and wait. This is not the same world. There are no Risen chasing us, or Fell Dragons blocking the sun. I will not leave him this time. 

“Are _you_ lost?” he asks, surprising me. “Do _you_ have a name?”

Before I can reply, another voice answers for me. 

“Suzu! There you are!”

The boy curls in on himself when Saizo appears and catches me by the shoulders. 

“You mustn’t run away like that,” he says. “If I lost you out here, I’d never...”

He trails off as he notices Kaze. The smaller boy is tense, ready to run at the first sign of threat. 

“Father,” I say quickly, to reassure him that this man is no stranger. “This is Kaze. He’s lost.”

Just like I was, when he took me in. Kaze’s shoulders relax slightly when he hears this man is my father. I turn to Saizo, hoping he will now take the initiative to invite him back to our village. Such words are more reassuring coming from a man than a boy. However, Saizo is staring at me with a big grin on his face, eyes shining. And I realise that this is the first time I’ve referred to him as my father. I never expected one simple word would bring him this much joy. 

“Father,” I prompt him. “It’s getting dark. We can’t leave Kaze out here on his own.”

Saizo blinks, remembering himself. He nods, but the smile never leaves his eyes. 

“You’re right, Suzu,” he says. 

He squeezes my shoulder as he walks past me to crouch by Kaze, one of his silent forms of praise. I can’t help the pride that swells in my chest. 

“Kaze, is it?” he says softly. “Nice to meet you. Would you like to come back to our village with us? It’s not safe out here at night.”

Kaze’s eyes flick past him and to me. I give him an encouraging smile, and he slowly nods. Saizo offers him his cloak, which he timidly accepts. 

“You’re in luck,” Saizo tells him. “We’re having rabbit tonight. Fortunately one of us managed to catch a decent meal.”

“You consider two small bunnies to be a decent meal?” I scoff. 

Clearly Saizo has never had to catch dinner for a hungry wyvern. Those rabbits would be hardly a mouthful for Minerva. 

“It’s more decent than what you caught,” he replies, holding up the leaf I pinned. 

Why does he still have that?! My face must show my mortification, because I see Kaze smile slightly. Saizo sees it too. He winks at me. 

“We’ll let our young friend here decide whose is better,” he chuckles. “ _After_ we get back to Igasato. And tomorrow, Kaze, we’ll try find your parents. Does that sound okay?”

“You won’t find them,” the young boy says as he stands. 

“Don’t underestimate me,” Saizo teases. “I’m a Hoshian ninja, after all. We are capable of amazing things.”

“Like catching bunnies,” I say, to make him smile again. 

“And stopping the decent of leaves.”

“And snoring.”

“I snore?” Saizo makes a show of looking wounded. “How can you say such a thing, Suzu? To your own father!”

Our light conversation helps Kaze to relax as he walks between us. I feel his numb fingers slip into my hand and I squeeze them in what I hope is a comforting manner. 

I have never been anyone’s first choice when seeking comfort. I am not someone who offers soothing words or embraces. Maybe I would have made an exception for you, but you were always so strong. I never saw you fall to pieces. 

I want to say something to Kaze, to tell him that I know he will be okay because I was in a situation like his once, and I survived. I survived when it was only myself and the other war-orphans, hiding in trees and trying to find anyone who could help us. And he has so much more than I had. He has me, and Saizo, and the clan. They will look after him, I know. But I cannot say any of this to him. That was Gerome’s life, and I must never be Gerome in this world. 

 

Kaze stays with us. Like he said, Saizo is unable to find his parents, and he refuses to tell the older man where he has come from. He wants to stay here, he says. With him. With me. And whatever hard ninja heart Saizo might have once had is melted by the sincerity with which he says it. I became his son because I had no choice. But Kaze is begging to be allowed to join his family. 

I do not fail to notice how similar our situations are. Neither do the rest of the clan and village. We are both the same age. We are both mysteriously abandoned in the middle of nowhere. We are both serious and reluctant to talk to strangers. We even look slightly similar, but all boys look similar at our age. In the first few days of him living with us, Kaze dresses in some of my spare clothes, and that is enough to make the whole village chuckle. They begin to joke that we are twins. Perhaps we are. Perhaps he also followed a voice and came here to save the one he loves?

I am not adverse to having a brother. I need allies, and the bond between brothers is not one that is easily broken. Plus, Kaze is strong. Once his meals have helped fill him out, he asks Saizo to train him. It becomes clear that he is more adept at being a ninja than I am. It comes naturally to him. Which is not fair. How am I meant to forget a lifetime of fighting with axes on the back of a wyvern? At first I am bitter, but then I realise this can benefit me. 

I force myself to train harder to keep my skill superior to Kaze’s. Although we are the same age, I am the first son. I am the one who will inherit the Saizo name and lead the clan. It is my responsibility to ensure I am the strongest ninja in Igasato, and Kaze is the competition. 

... where do these thoughts come from? Inheriting the Saizo name? Leading the clan? When did these become things I care about? I am mistaken. I want to become stronger, because the stronger I am the easier it will be to protect you when you arrive in this world. When I grow stronger, Kaze also wishes to grow stronger, which forces me to grow stronger still. We are good for each other. We are pushing each other.

“Tell me, Kaze,” I ask him, one day while we are training. “Why do you want to be a ninja?”

He has been living with us for just over three months now, and of everyone he has grown to trust me most. I think he will tell me. 

“For the same reasons as you, of course,” he says, wiping sweat from his forehead. 

“Which are?”

“You tell me.”

When I say nothing, he sighs and settles himself down in the corner of the room. I throw him an orange from the basket Saizo left for us by the door. He had to travel away from Igasato today, and the fruit is his way of encouraging us not to train too hard. 

“Suzu,” he says. “I believe there is something you’re not telling me.”

“Perhaps. But there is also much I don’t know about you.”

Kaze smiles bitterly. 

“My story is nothing you haven’t heard one thousand times before. Unloved child from a poor family flees in search of a better life.”

I raise an eyebrow. A poor family? In Hoshido? Surely this cannot be. There is plenty of food in Hoshido. No one is poor, and no one would allow a family to wallow in misery, to the point where a child would need to run away. Unless... My eyes widen when I realise how this can make sense. 

“You’re from Nohr,” I say. 

It isn’t a question, and Kaze does not need to nod for me to know I am right. He stares at the opposite wall for a moment before speaking. 

“Do you know what it’s like there? Have you ever been in a land where the sky is constantly dark, and to see the sun is a rare gift?”

I have. 

“Is it really as bad as they say it is?” I ask. “The King. Is he truly mad?”

Kaze looks unsure when he answers. 

“I never saw any of the royals. I lived close to the border. But I’d see things in the night. Big, shapeless monsters, worse than anything you could imagine. Everyone told me I was imagining them, but the sky kept growing darker and the night colder until... until I knew something bad was going to happen. I had to leave. Something wasn’t right.”

I bite my lip. Is it happening now? Is the evil that you and the others left to fight starting to awaken?

“I like Hoshido,” he continues. “Everyone here is kind and welcoming, and there is plenty of food for all. One day, I know that whatever bad thing I sensed lurking in Nohr is going to spill over into this land too. And when that day comes, I want to be able to fight it. I want to protect everyone I care about.”

He smiles at me, and I am speechless to know I am included in that statement. No one has ever wanted to protect me. They’ve never needed to. I’ve always been the one to protect them.

“But you,” Kaze says, changing the subject. “You’re not from Nohr. And I know that Igasato is not your original home. So where did you come from? Why do _you_ want to be a ninja?”

It is tempting to tell him. And only fair, seeing what he has told me. But it is also too soon. 

“I’ll tell you one day,” I say. “But not yet.”

He nods. Calm and rational. That is Kaze. He reminds me of Minerva - a silent but calming companion at my side. 

“Whatever it is,” he says, standing again. “I’ll stay with you. And protect you. No matter what.”

It’s a promise I know he’ll keep, and it makes me smile. Saizo. Kaze. The clan. These are my allies now. My family.


	4. Someone like you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently 'suzu' means tin in Japanese. So yeah, Gerome's name is Tin until he inherits that Saizo name...

Kaze and I do everything together. We train together. We eat together. We sleep in the same room, across the floor from one another. We have been bound together by the secrets of our past, though I have yet to share mine. But the promise of one day learning such a thing satisfies Kaze, for now. 

Seeing us together makes father smile. Once he had no sons, and now he has two. Two strong, honourable sons, who will carry on the clan name when he has passed. Kaze glows with pride to hear this, to hear that he has found another home here with us in this peaceful land.

But you and I know all too well that peace never lasts. 

We are ten, and father has taken us both fishing when the messenger finds us. An immediate summons to Castle Shirasagi, from Queen Mikoto herself. He commands the messenger to guide us back to Igasato and leaves immediately without any provisions. I cannot help the unease I feel as I watch him disappear in the distance. 

“What could it be this time?” Kaze muses, as we take the long, scenic route back to Igasato. 

Over the years, we have grown used to father suddenly being called away. He is the clan leader, after all, and owes a sacred duty to the royals. But normally the summons come from King Sugemari, and father is allowed time to ready himself before leaving. He leaves us in the care of an old washerwoman, who watches us with a strict eye. This time, he has made no such arrangement. 

The messenger takes us to our home and leaves without another word. Kaze and I exchange a grin when we realise no one knows father has gone. No one will be watching us. We are free to do as we wish. That night, we stay up late and make our plans by candlelight. We both agree whatever we do should both be fun and yet still productive for our training. 

“We should try fishing, but with shuriken,” Kaze suggests. 

“Father will kill us if we lose them in the river,” I remind him. 

“We won’t go to the river. There’s a pond among the high grass to the south of here. It’s shallow, so it won’t be hard to find them if we miss.”

I know the pond he speaks of. It’s the one I waited by when I first arrived in this world. I haven’t been back to it since. 

“Are there even fish in that pond?” I ask. 

“Isn’t there fish in all water?”

Sometimes I forget that Kaze is just a child.

The next morning, I pack food for us while Kaze collects some shuriken from the training room. We set off while the sun is still low, mindful of anyone who might see us leaving unattended. It is foolish for two young boys to leave on their own, but I am confident that I will be able to keep us both safe. 

Two hours after we set off, I realise I probably should have brought a map. We are lost. All we had to do was go south, but somehow we are lost. I am not sure at what moment we strayed from the path. Perhaps it was when we saw a flash of orange darting into the trees, and chased it, thinking it might be a fox spirit? Or perhaps it was when Kaze challenged me to race to the top of the hill we spied in the distance? 

It was only when we reached this high point that we realised we couldn’t see anything familiar in any direction. No tall grass, no pond, and no Igasato. Meanwhile, the sun, which had started so low and cool, was beating down on us relentlessly. I have not experienced such heat since we journeyed through the desert with the Shepherds. 

“Curses,” I mutter, squinting at the horizon. 

I can make out what might be the silhouette of a settlement in the distance, but it isn’t in the direction we came from. Perhaps it is simply a mirage?

“Father is going to kill us,” Kaze says from beside me, his voice lacking it’s usual calm composure. 

I know this is true. Father never stays away for longer than a day. It is likely he will arrive back at Igasato this evening, or at the very latest, tomorrow morning. When he sees we’re not there I can’t imagine what he will do. And no one will be able to tell him where we went. 

I fist my hands in my red hair. This is the kind of mistake a child would make. I’m not a child. I’m supposed to know better. I’d expect a mishap like this from someone like you, but not myself. Gerome would never have left home without a map. Gerome would have turned down such a childish idea and insisted on a day of normal training. And yet Suzu was just as excited as his brother to do these things. Suzu didn’t even consider they could get lost. Does this mean Gerome is fading away? 

No, I will not let Gerome disappear completely. Gerome is the one who kissed you. Gerome is the one who loves you. Suzu will be the one to save you, but only because he has Gerome to guide him. 

I steady my breathing and squint at the horizon again. The mirage settlement is still there. Kaze is frozen. He doesn’t know what to do. I must solve this. 

“There,” I point the settlement out to Kaze. “Do you see that? They’ll probably have a map we can use.”

Kaze looks to the sky. No doubt he is thinking about how much hotter the sun will get as it continues to rise. A map is the least of our worries right now. We need water. We need shelter. I take his hand, physically pulling him out of his thoughts. 

“Come on,” I urge, beginning to walk. “I’m sure we will find someone kind enough to assist us.”

And if not, well, it will not be the first time I’ve had to do unsavoury things to survive. 

It takes us another hour to reach the town, by which time I am cursing the sun. Our trek took us through fields without trees or shade, and now my exposed pale skin feels sore. I wipe the sweat from my brow, checking over my shoulder to see how Kaze is doing. Though his face is composed, I can tell he is struggling as well.

“Come on, brother,” I try to sound cheerful for him. “I won’t let us fall here.”

The town is different from our village. Igasato has always been a simple place of thatch cottages and weekly markets. This town is far larger, and the buildings are made of stone. Carts are pulled through the wide street by horses, and I can hear merchants bellowing down the twisting alleys, calling out their goods. I keep a tight hold on Kaze as we push our way through the hoards of people, trying to find somewhere quiet where we can rest. 

“Have you ever seen such a place, Kaze?” I say to him.

He has grown quiet behind me, his eyelids drooping, but I keep talking to him in the hopes that he will stay awake. 

“I think I heard one of the merchants say they had duck. Perhaps we should try barter for some? Maybe father will be more forgiving if we bribe him with food?”

We have no money with us, but I’m sure I can trade a few of our shuriken for some goods. Igasato is well known for its ninja clan, and a genuine shuriken from the clan chief’s son might fetch a decent price. Certainly enough to buy us some water. 

Finally, we leave the busy streets behind us and come to a calmer part of the town. I set Kaze down in the shade. His face is bright red from the sun, his body lacking its normal good posture. I rummage through the supplies I brought with us and fish out an orange. I peel it quickly with the tip of a shuriken and press the individual segments through his unresponsive lips. He chews them slowly. 

I hope the sweet juice will be enough to keep him awake until I find water. We drunk all of ours an hour into our journey this morning, foolishly believing we would be able to refill our skins when we reached the pond. I can see no streams or fountains nearby. I must go searching, but I can’t leave him alone when he is like this. 

“Kaze,” I say. “Do you think you can stand?”

I get no response. I feel panic slowly taking me over. If I were still Gerome, I would be able to carry him on my back without any problem. I would be able to ask someone for help, and they would recognise me as a capable warrior and rush to my aid. I have not been so helpless since we left our original world, and I found myself alone without allies. If I lose Kaze now, if I lose my only brother...

A piece of material lands over my face. I am so caught off guard that I do not move, simply staying in my crouch while the wind tries to pull the material free. 

“Oh! Oh no! I’m very sorry!”

I hear the voice of a girl, followed by quick footsteps. Before I can reply, the material is yanked off my face and I’m looking up at small, delicate features, almost completely covered by long dark hair. The girl looks at me and flushes, holding the material close to her chest. I can see now that it was a yellow scarf, the type some ninja wear to cover their shoulders. That would mean this girl is a ninja in training, like myself.

I see her eye my own dark attire and her brown eyes shine as she reaches the same conclusion. 

“You too!” she gushes excitedly. “That’s amazing! I didn’t think anyone in town trained as ninjas except my family!”

Then I see her eyebrows draw together and she frowns. I follow her gaze, expecting it to land on my suffering brother, but she is simply looking at my shuriken, still buried amongst the orange peel. 

“You really ought to take better care of those,” she huffs, crossing her arms. “They’re serious weapons. Not toys or fruit knives.”

“I know,” I say. “I use them to hunt rabbits.” 

She couldn’t stay mad if she wanted to upon hearing this. Her mouth drops open in awe, though she quickly hides it by wrapping herself back up in her yellow scarf. I let her see my smirk.

“Who is training you?” she demands, turning away as heat floods her cheeks agin. “My father doesn’t allow us to use the shuriken outside the training room, and I’m one of his top students, so if I’m not allowed then you’re definitely not allowed.”

I watch her carefully. I don’t think she will get us in trouble, she’s just trying to show she’s serious about her ninja training. I’m curious to see how good she is. She looks like she’s around mine and Kaze’s age, maybe slightly younger. It’ll be interesting to see how her training has differed from ours, if she is more skilled. She could potentially be another useful ally...

Kaze coughs. He sounds like his throat is full of sand, and I’m reminded that I’m supposed to be finding him water. The girl sees him and puts a hand to her mouth. 

“Oh my!”

“Kagero!” a man shouts from down the street as he rushes towards us. 

The girl, Kagero, grimaces.

“I’ve told you not to run off on your own,” the man huffs when he reaches her. “You’ll get lost.”

“Sorry, father,” Kagero says. “My scarf blew off and I had to chase it.” 

She turns to me and beams. 

“But this nice boy caught it for me.”

I am suddenly under the scrutiny of a tall man with deep lines running across his forehead. He has the girl’s dark hair, and a scar on his cheek - a pale, broken line, that looks like it was inflicted by a spinning shuriken. No wonder he is careful not to let his daughter use them freely. Like her, he also notices my own shuriken. If I’d known I’d encounter two ninjas, I never would have left it amongst peel. 

“Is that yours, boy?” Kagero’s father asks. “Or did you steal it?”

If this man is a respected ninja, then he must be familiar with Igasato and father. 

“It’s mine,” I tell him. 

I stand and bow, like father taught me to do.

“My name is Suzu, of the Igasato clan. My father is Saizo, fourth of his name.”

One of the man’s thick eyebrows rises. He examines me closer, clearly trying to see the resemblance. This is a good sign. It means he knows him. 

“Yes, I am familiar with Saizo,” he says. “After all, both our families have been in servitude to the royals for generations now.”

“Then why were you not summoned to Castle Shirasagi?” I ask before I can stop myself. 

“I was summoned. But I sent my eldest son in my place. He shall soon fulfill the role of Queen Mikoto’s retainer, so I thought it fitting.”

He casts an eye over Kaze, who, despite his current state, still appears to be watching and listening intently. The orange must have helped. But now I am aware of how dry my own throat is. 

“That is my brother, Kaze,” I say.

“I see. And what are two boys from Igasato doing here?”

After I explain our situation to him, including how we told no one where we were going and how I’d stupidly forgotten to bring a map, he invites us back to his home. Which, I am surprised to see, is a large and splendid manor. This ninja family must be nobles, to afford such a place. Kagero walks beside me while her father carries Kaze. She keeps peering at me when she doesn’t think I’m looking. 

People step out of the manor when we pass the gates and start walking up the tiled path. On either side is a sprawling, well kept lawn, and I can see a smaller separate building tucked away towards the left. 

“That’s where we train,” Kagero tells me. “You’re welcome to see it and test it out, if you like. Maybe we could even train together?”

“It’s a very kind offer. Thank you, Kagero. But my brother and I must get home before our father notices we are missing.”

“Oh, of course.” 

She twists her hands, biting her lip. Ahead, I can hear her father ordering refreshments to be laid out for us. One man is urged to run into town to fetch a healer for Kaze. I am reluctant to let him out of my sight when Kagero’s father tells me he will be taken to rest somewhere quiet and cool, but I know it’s what he needs right now. 

While we wait for the healer to come, Kagero shows me around her home. She shows me the lake at the back of the manor, and the little gazebo she sits in when she does her painting. She’s good. I admire the landscape she’s currently working on: a view of the lake with trees in the background. She’s added a few birds in the sky above it, as well as slight smudges of colour just below the surface of the water, meant to represent the swimming koi. I lament the failure of my own fishing trip, not that I expected there to be fish in that pond anyway. She is sympathetic but amused by my tale.

“So you are the son of the Igasato clan chief,” Kagero muses. “Does that mean you will be a royal retainer when you’re older?”

“Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I am dedicated to becoming Lord Ryoma’s retainer. I am willing to give my life to protect him.”

By him, I am of course referring to you. But Kagero doesn’t need to know that. 

“What about yourself?” I ask her. 

She shrugs. 

“Maybe one day. If I ever become strong enough.”

I am about to encourage her to pursue this goal, but I stop myself just in time. No. I don’t want Kagero to be Lord Ryoma’s other retainer. That is the position you will fill, when the time comes. I rest my head on the gazebo ledge. How much longer must I wait? Eight years? Ten? Will you arrive the moment the war begins, or will you be playing the same game as me - planting yourself in this world and collecting allies? No matter. My allies will be your allies soon enough. 

The healer arrives promptly, but it is not good news. Kaze has been severely dehydrated. He cannot travel without rest. Which means we will not be returning before father gets back to Igasato. I cringe at this news. Already, I can hear him scolding me like a child. But Kagero seems delighted that we will have more time to spend together. Her father sends a messenger to Castle Shirasagi, hoping to intercept Saizo before he returns to Igasato. He will come and fetch us soon enough.

 

To my surprise, father does not come until half way through the next day. When he arrives at the manor and greets Kagero’s father, he looks exhausted. I see him through the window of the room Kaze and I were given to rest in. My brother is fully recovered and just as fearful of how father will punish us as I am. 

Father enters our room without knocking. I expect the shouting to start immediately, but instead he simply sags onto the bed. I crawl over to him, concerned. His eyes have aged. 

“King Sugemari is dead,” he says simply. 

Kaze and I are silent. I wait for father to say that he’s joking, that a shock like that will teach us to wander off on our own. But I know he would never joke about something like this. I don’t know whether to put a hand on his shoulder or not. Will anything be sufficiently comforting to him at this moment?  

“How?” Kaze asks in a small voice. 

I see his fists trembling and I know he dreads the answer. 

“He was ambushed by King Garon of Nohr. They slaughtered him without mercy. All his men too.”

Kaze swallows, and I see a shadow of guilt fall over his face. I want to insist that he shouldn’t feel this way. He couldn’t help being born in Nohr. He left, that’s the important thing, and now he should not feel ashamed by the actions of his former countrymen. But I cannot say this while father is with us. And father will be with us until we are back in Igasato. This will torment him until then. The bad news continues. 

“Young Prince Corrin was with him,” father says. “They took him.”

I remember the small, pale boy who played by the river the one time I visited Castle Shirasagi. Now he will spend the rest of his days surrounded by cruelty and darkness. I look to Kaze, who meets my eyes with a hard glare. He can imagine no harsher fate. He is furious beyond belief to hear King Garon would do this. 

“Why?” I ask. “What do they want with him?”

Father shakes his head. 

“I don’t know. But we must retaliate. I’ve been given my orders.”

Now I understand why he looks so grim. His orders trouble him. I can only imagine what they are. 

“Come, boys,” he finally says. “I need to get you home. There are... things I need to do.”

The only good thing to come out of father’s exhausted mindset is that he forgets to scold us for our stupidity. I wonder if I should bring it up, but decide he has bigger things to worry about right now. Besides, Kaze and I have learned our lesson. We won’t be doing something like that again. Not until we’re older.

We leave the manor as soon as possible, with Kagero, her father and her now-returned, equally-grim brother waving us off. Before we have gone too far, I hear Kagero shout for me and she rushes down the path after us. I stop and turn to her. She bites her lip and holds a scroll of paper out to me. I thank her and take it, but she flees with rosy cheeks before I can open it.

“Keep up, Suzu,” father calls from down the path. 

I run to catch up with him. Kaze watches curiously as I open the scroll. It’s a painting of a bright fish, swimming in a pond, surrounded by tall grass. I blink with surprise, recalling my conversation yesterday about how disappointed I was not to have reached the pond. To think that she’d been paying attention to my ramblings, and that she’d thought to paint this for me in the hopes of softening my disappointment... now I’m the one with rosy cheeks. 

Kaze pretends not to have seen, but I notice his lips curving slightly, trying to hold back his amusement. Does he think I am interested in her? I wonder what his face would look like if I told him about my feelings towards you.

“Shut up,” I mutter to him, carefully re-rolling the scroll and putting it somewhere where it won’t get creased. 

Sweet Kagero, I will treasure this painting. Until we meet again. 


	5. You dreamt of monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should have included Papa Saizo in this chapter. Seeing as what will happen in the next one...

I remember when you used to wake in the night, gasping for a comfort that had long since died. This was before we travelled back to fight alongside our parents. A time when I still lay awake most of the night, listening for our enemies. Your ragged breaths would not startle me. They soothed me, made me remember that I wasn’t lying under the stars alone. 

What did you used to dream about? Was it the sight of your dying mother, far beyond your reach? Or the screams of the Risen as they descended upon helpless villages, their rotting flesh catching on their own armour while they moved? You cannot have seen the Fell Dragon behind your fluttering eyelids. No man could dream about that and have the will to smile in the morning, as you did. 

With the war ended and Ylisse saved, I thought our days of facing monsters lurking in the shadows were far behind us. Who could have guessed that this world would have monsters too. 

We first encounter them seven months after King Sugemari’s death. Father never told us what deed he was forced to do in retaliation, but I think I can guess. Everyone knows about the Nohrian princess who now resides with the Hoshian royals. I expect to receive news that the princess had been exchanged for Corrin’s safe return a few weeks after her arrival, but it never comes. Nohr must have refused the ransom, which means King Garon cares nothing for the return of his daughter. Which is why the sudden appearance of the monsters is so surprising. 

Kaze and I are cutting down saplings in the forest. With the potential for war looming between Hoshido and Nohr, our village is expected to host soldiers. Just in case. Igasato is small, but it has a strategic location. It cannot fall into enemy hands, on the off chance that they successfully cross our borders. Father says the first few battalions will arrive at the end of the season, which gives us time to build new homes for them. 

Swinging the axe against the saplings’ trunks reminds me of my life back in Ylisse, when I fought on the back of a mighty wyvern instead of with shuriken in the shadows. I was afraid I would have forgotten the proper way to hold it, but it is familiar in my hand. Not quite as heavy as my old weapon, but a decent weight for a tool. While I toil away, Kaze has set his own axe down and is gathering twigs and broken branches. I roll my eyes at the sight. 

“Unbelievable,” I say. “You better not be collecting that firewood for the baker’s daughter again.”

“It’s only fair,” he replies, without ceasing his task. “She brings me those lemon pastries I love, and I help her with this chore.”

“Help her?” I scoff, resting the axe on my shoulder. “That would imply she has collected even a single piece of firewood in the last month. You’re doing everything for her.”

“I’m happy to do it. She hasn’t the time anyway. Her father is ill and she must tend to him at all hours.”

And yet she still had the time to bring him his desserts? I shake my head, getting back to work to hide my smirk. Kaze believes the baker’s daughter would not bring him gifts if he stopped doing this for her, but I know better. I recognised the look she had on her face the first time she stopped by. Flushed cheeks, a bitten lip, careful movements. She likes Kaze for a whole lot more than his gathering skills, that I’m sure of. 

I do not voice these thoughts though. The last time Kaze and I spoke of such things, he became a spluttering, protesting mess. 

“No, no, no,” he’d insisted. “You’re mistaken, brother. Why would anyone like anything about me? I don’t even belong in this land.”

I’d simply laughed at this. If only he knew the truth. 

The ground shudders beneath my feet. At first I am glad. Perhaps Kaze has finally finished his pointless chore and is getting back to the real work? But then I see he is staring around, his fingers tightening around his stack of firewood. His axe still hasn’t been touched. 

“What the-”

My question is cut off by another shudder. I can hear branches snapping in the distance. Something is coming towards us. 

“Kaze,” I say in a low voice, gesturing for him to get behind me. 

Whatever is coming our way, it will be big. Big enough to make the ground tremble. Big enough to make leaves jump from the trees with every step. Big enough to kill us both in one movement. I drop my axe and reach for the shuriken in my belt. I will kill whatever it is before it sees us. 

The monster that appears before us is green, like the fungus that grows on rotting fruit. It has a hulking form, a body that can only stagger clumsily because it is so weighed down by muscle. Even at a distance, I know it will dwarf us. But that isn’t the most terrifying part. It doesn’t have a face, this monster. Only a black helmet covered in holes, where clouds of breath spew forth. There are tubes running between the helmet and the creature’s back, and I know then that this Faceless monster is not natural. Dark magic is at work here. I can taste it in the air - a bitter, smokey remnant that I have not experienced since we killed the last Risen. 

The firewood tumbles from Kaze’s arms, drawing the Faceless’ attention. My brother sounds like he is choking. I cannot blame him. I expect I reacted the same way the first time I faced such a creature. I had my mother to protect me in that moment. He only has me, but I will try to fight selflessly like she did. 

The Faceless takes a step towards us, the ground cracking under its foot. I throw my shuriken. The sharp point embeds itself in its thick neck, but it doesn’t even flinch. Its hide it too thick. I need a weapon that will cut deeper. My eyes travel to my axe, carelessly discarded by my feet. 

“Suzu!” Kaze gasps. 

The Faceless is charging towards us. We only have enough time to dive out of the way. My axe is crushed under the giant fists, that come down with the force of falling boulders. Even the tallest trees quake at the force of the attack. 

“Run,” I urge Kaze. “Get help! I will distract it!”

I give him no time to protest, pushing him one way while I go the other. I throw another shuriken, aiming for one of the mask holes this time. There is a clang as metal meets metal, and the monster grasps its head as if the sound echoes through its very bones. Interesting. 

A gurgling noise comes from the Faceless and, as I’d hoped, it turns to focus on me. I see Kaze look back as he flees, the reluctance softening his eyes. Fear not, brother, I refuse to die today. Not after everything I have been through to be here. I shout at the Faceless - a hardened battle cry that catches in my young throat. 

The Faceless charges again. I dive aside like before, but this time I have led it out the path of my weapon. I scoop up Kaze’s axe, holding it with both hands. Before the Faceless has the chance to find me, I bury the blade in its back. 

Thick, black blood bursts from the wound, but it still isn’t enough to register as pain for the monster. He does not know I am behind him yet, so I strike again and again. The blood splatters my cheeks but I do not flinch from my task. 

I know the moment I have gone deep enough. The Faceless jerks, those broad shoulders tensing with agony. It swings around, fists flying. I duck under the attack. While I am low, I bring the blade across its foot, slicing off crooked toes. I leap away as it brings both fists down together.

This monster has strength, but it is mindless. I see nothing human in it, no hope of redemption. I throw another shuriken at its head to make it charge again. This time, the movement is slow and clumsy, thanks to its missing toes. It keeps toppling over the maimed foot, bringing a fist down to steady itself. It does this over and over again, unable to figure out why this is happening. 

The next time it steadies itself on its fist, I dart towards it to attack. I swing the axe at the tendons in its wrist, grinning when I hear the snap. I dance back again, and this time when that fist goes down to support itself, it cannot hold the weight. With a sound like a toppling tree, the bones snaps and the wrist bends the wrong way, until the back of its hand is pressed against the top of its arm. It falls flat, sending up a cloud of dust. I don’t see it trying to stand. I doubt it knows how to. 

I have never been one to gloat over defeat, so I end the monster quickly. One, two, three strikes across the neck below the mask, and that faceless head rolls free. I bury the axe into the back wound I’d already made and let myself slump onto one of the tree stumps. My heart is pounding, but in a good way. I can’t remember the last time I had to fight like that - kill or be killed. I only wish you could have been here, just like old times. 

I expect Kaze will be returning with help soon. The sight they will be met with will leave them all speechless and give them many questions. I must think of an explanation, one which doesn’t involve me revealing my past. But then I hear a twig snap, and when my eyes dart to the sound I see Kaze standing there with his mouth open. I sigh, because I know he has witnessed the entire fight. 

“Do you remember when I asked you where you were from?” he asks, and I wince because I know what is coming. “And you told me that you’d tell me one day? I’d like that day to be this one please.”

“Kaze,” I say. 

Now is not the time. I am covered in foul blood, with an unknown monster more than twice my size lying dead at my feet. I need to clean myself. I need to rest. But he takes a step towards me, a hard look in his eyes that is half awe, half fear. 

“I have never seen anyone fight like that,” he says. “And I know for sure that father never taught us to wield an axe in that way. How did you do it, Suzu? Who taught you?”

I weigh my options. Refuse him answers, which might be simple, but then face questioning from a dozen adult ninja? Or confide in him, strengthen our bond here and now, and have him assist in hiding this incident. He told me that he would stand with me, no matter what I am or where I’m from. It’s a chance to put that to the test. 

“Okay,” I say, and I gesture to the stump opposite mine because I don’t know how long this will take. 

He beams, surprised but pleased that I am finally telling him the truth. I wonder how long he has been waiting for this? Has he lied awake at night, staring at the boy in the bed across from his and wondering who he really is?

“I’m not from Nohr or Hoshido,” I say.

He gives me a narrow eyed look that tells me he already guessed as much. I sigh but continue. 

“I’m from a land called Ylisse, a very long way from here. Both in distance and time.”

He tilts his head at this. 

“Did you say time?”

“Yes.”

I tell him as much as I can. That my original home was destroyed by a monstrous dragon who reigned destruction from the sky. That a benevolent deity had allowed me and my comrades to travel to the past, to prevent the dragon’s birth. That we had succeeded, and remained in that time to live out our lives. 

I think he follows it. I leave out the part about meeting my younger parents. I wait for the question of my age. My story implies the passing of many, many years, which would make me clearly older than I am now. But he either doesn’t think of this or isn’t bothered by such implications. 

“Is that why you’re here now?” Kaze asks. “To stop an evil dragon from rising and destroying the land?”

I shake my head. 

“No. This time my reasons are far more selfish. I’ve come to save someone I love. Someone like me, who’ll come from that world to this one.”

“That’s not selfish.” Kaze’s eyes are sparkling. “That’s so brave and heroic! Of course you had to leave your world to stop an evil dragon. But this time you could have easily not come. Yet you still chose to. For the one you love.”

His smile fades as something suddenly occurs to him. 

“It’s not Kagero, is it?” 

It takes me a while to remember who Kagero is. 

“What? No!”

Of course, I remember the girl who gave me the fish painting. It hangs above my bed, so I can admire it every morning. But it was only one encounter, so her name sometimes escapes me. Perhaps I will ask father if we can go visit again one day, but then I dismiss the thought. Father is too busy with war council and protecting the royal family right now. 

“Shame,” Kaze says, a mischievous smile lighting his face. “I think she liked you.”

How is it that he could see that, clear as day, but the baker’s daughter’s affections still elude his notice? I ruffle his hair.

“So when will your loved one arrive?” Kaze asks, after he has pushed my hand away. 

“I don’t know. Not until-”

I bite my lip, suddenly aware of saying too much. _Not until the war begins._ No one knows there’s going to be a war yet, not really. Nohr’s attempted attacks have been thwarted by Queen Mikoto’s magical barrier, which erases a soldier’s aggression towards Hoshido. I look back to the Faceless’ corpse. I have no doubt that Nohr is responsible for it. Though even if this monster is the first of many, I know the Queen is far too gentle and wise to retaliate with war.  

I frown at this thought. I _know_ there will be a war. But Queen Mikoto would never lead Hoshido towards such a path. Does that mean...

“Come on.” Kaze nudges me out of my thoughts. “We need to get this wood back to the village. And alert father to the presence of this monster.”

The axe makes a wet noise as I pull it from the corpse. I wipe the blade clean on the grass while Kaze waits.

“What will we tell him?” I say. “He can’t know the truth. No one can.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll think of something.” Kaze slings an arm across my bloody shoulders. “Together.”


End file.
